Smile
by Izzyv1o
Summary: Yuffie wonders why no one ever sees through her smiles. Leon wonders why he never noticed before. Along the way, they both learn a few lessons about life and hope. Multi-part drabble. Please Read and Review!
1. Part One: Smile

_(I do not own Kingdom Hearts.)(Please point out any mistakes and tell me what you think in a review!!)_

Smile

Sometimes Yuffie wonders what would happen if she stopped smiling all the time.

She wonders if anyone would take on her burden; if _anyone_ would be optimistic in her place.

Yuffie wonders if anyone realizes why she acts happy all the time – she worries that if she stops, no one on their entire world would be happy. The thought always made the ninja shudder in fear, and made her "smile" grow.

Yuffie wonders many things, but the thing that never stops bugging her is the fact that no one ever sees through her false happiness, not even for a moment.


	2. Part Two: Epiphany

_**A/N:** Part Two! Finally, right? I'm sorry it took so long, to be honest, I kind of forgot I had this stored on my computer... *shrug* No one's perfect, right? Please read and review and I promise the next part will be out faster. :)  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I own any of the characters who I play around with. If I did, well... Lets just say there would be some _very _different plotlines in the games.  
_

_**Part Two:**  
_

_Epiphany_

Leon knew there was something wrong with his fighting partner, he just could not figure out what it was.

He would sit up at night and try to figure out what it was; he could never find the answer.

He began to notice changes in the ninja's behavior, little things that he might have ignored before; such as how she stopped skipping everywhere she went.

Leon saw that when she sparred with him, she slowly stopped making fun of him all throughout their training sessions – and she stopped complaining about wanting to do other things besides training all day.

Those were just little things, though, the warrior told himself. They should not give him the sense that she was not herself.

She was still the same Ninja who he had saved when Hallow Bastion was taken by darkness; the same ninja he had been training with for eight years, had been putting up with for twenty.

There was something different about her, though. Something that had changed recently.

She still called him "Squall" despite his protests and still insisted that she was the best Ninja ever.

It took him weeks to figure it out.

Yuffie had stopped her constant smiling.


	3. Part Three: Effect

_(There's probably going to be one more part... Maybe two... Please review and tell me what you think!)(Insert witty disclaimer here.)_

**_Part Three:_**

_Effect_

As soon as Leon had realized what was so different about his partner, he began to wonder _why_ she had stopped smiling.

She had managed to smile for all of the twelve years that had passed since they lost their home, why would she stop now?

Leon realized the Ninja had finally decided that they were never going to go home, which was the assumption everyone else in Traverse Town had come to as well.

Soon after Leon decided she must have given up hope, he began to notice that the town seemed a lot dimmer, as though Yuffie's smile had brightened up the world.

Thinking about it, Leon realized that it probably had. For twelve years there had always been someone smiling, someone hoping. The hope of the young woman had kept the townspeople aware that there was hope to be found somewhere. Now that she had apparently given up hope, the people of Traverse Town started to doubt that there was hope anywhere in the worlds.

Leon wondered if the Ninja knew the effect her smile had on the town, and marveled at how long she had managed to keep smiling.

It was no wonder she had stopped, really, everyone had been telling her for eight years that there was no hope of going home; that it would never happen.


	4. Part Four: Unspoken Sentiments

_(The filler title I had in here as I wrote the chapter was "Super Squall to the Rescue!" Just thought I'd tell you. I don't really like this title, so suggestions are welcome.)(Please review and tell me what you think!)(I don't own it.)_

_**Part Four:**_

_Unspoken Sentiments  
_

Since Yuffie had stopped her "smiling," she had noticed a change in the atmosphere of Traverse Town. She noticed that it was all a bit darker and duller, as though a light had gone out somewhere, and no one had bothered to replace it.

She wondered if anyone else noticed the change in the world, but never bothered to ask, knowing that everyone would just tell her they were too busy to bother with her questions and why couldn't she just go play like a normal kid.

At the thought, a scowl filled her usually joyous face, and Yuffie fought to keep the negative thoughts away – negative energy was harmful to her ninja skills, after all.

Just as the scowl disappeared from her façade, Squall – _Leon_ – came into the room, probably to yell at me for something, she thought. Much to her surprise, he did not scold her, nor did he give her some meaningless chore or tell her they were going to start training again soon.

No, instead of any of the aforementioned possibilities that filled Yuffie's head, Squall Leonheart did something that made the ninja's mouth hang open. He _smiled_ at her.

After a week's insistent questioning Squall, Yuffie still had no idea why he was suddenly smiling. _He_ was the one with the dark and terrible past that he could never tell her about; that she had to find out about from _Aerith_. _He_ was the one who never smiled; whose heart was made of ice.

But here he was, still smiling even after a week.

The ninja had realized, throughout the week, that Traverse Town was looking brighter once more, but did not dare associate the change with his sudden smile. It just did not seem possible.

A month later, and he was still smiling. The smile seemed contagious, for Cid and Aerith were also smiling, along with many of the residents of the world for lost souls.

It finally occurred to Yuffie that maybe she should smile back, and she did. Sure, it wasn't a genuine one, but it made Leon's smile grow. Yuffie realized that it was probably what he had been waiting for all along. To see her smile. For her to start smiling again.

The thing was, though, when she began smiling again, he didn't stop. They smiled together, and Yuffie's smiles grew more and more genuine as they grew closer. She would never tell anyone of how his smile made her feel, but that was fine, because she told him, every time she smiled back.


End file.
